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One child died and a second boy was in "grave condition" after the car they were in with two adults drove into the water at the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday, officials and local media said.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement that the two adults swam from the car to the surface at around 6 p.m. local time, while the children had to be rescued from the submerged vehicle near Berth 73.

Both of the children were described by the fire department as being in "grave condition", after being pulled from the car. The Los Angeles Times, citing local officials, reported later that one of the boys, a thirteen-year-old, had died.

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident.

"We don't know if the vehicle was driven into the water intentionally or accidentally, and our investigation will attempt to determine that," Los Angeles Police Captain Brian Whitten told reporters, according to local broadcaster KTLA-TV.

Footage published by local broadcasters showed that authorities were still trying to pull the car out of the water late on Thursday night. KCAL-TV said witnesses saw the adults, a man and a woman, screaming for someone to help their children.